


A Christmas Festival in Hogsmeade

by sadsentinel



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, Charms, Christmas, Cute, F/M, Fluff, Harry Potter - Freeform, Hogsmeade, Hogsmeade Dates, Hogwarts, Hogwarts Fifth Year, Holidays, Magic, Snow, Snowball Fight, Students, Transfiguration, Witch - Freeform, Wizard, date, friends - Freeform, happiness, romantic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-15
Updated: 2020-12-15
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:42:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28079385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sadsentinel/pseuds/sadsentinel
Summary: just a short, fluffy, christmas-y one shot of a soft spoken hufflepuff oc with draco!
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 4





	A Christmas Festival in Hogsmeade

“You know, Hightower, we could just skip class today.”

I looked at Draco incredulously.

“You’ve lost your mind,” I answered.

“Think about it—the Christmas festival has already begun in Hogsmeade. If we don’t go today, there won’t be time before we head home for the holidays.”

“As much as I hate to agree with him… he may be right.” Hermione shifted the massive textbooks that were balanced precariously in her arms.

“Of course I’m right.” The blonde wizard shriveled his nose in mock irritation. Hermione’s lips drew together in exasperation, but she remained silent. “So what do you say, Hightower?”

“You make a compelling case,” I responded, brushing a sheaf of overgrown bangs out of my eyes. Draco’s eyes lingered on mine for just a moment longer than necessary before he finally turned to Hermione.

“No,” she stated simply. He couldn’t even open his mouth to ask her the question before she rejected him. His grey eyes narrowed as he watched the talented witch stalk away towards class, her cloak flouncing behind her.

I turned to Draco and smiled. I was opposed to skipping class—after all, I would be skipping charms with Professor Flitwick, and his lessons were always my favorite. Against my better judgement, I allowed my smile to deepen, and linked arms with my friend.

He returned a more muted smile, but his joy was apparent nonetheless. No matter how much he tried to keep it from us, our entire circle knew that he didn’t like to be alone quite as much as his demeanor suggested.

He ran his fingers through his platinum blonde hair, seemingly unaware of me staring. I couldn’t help it; ever since we’d met, there had been some kind of strange chemistry between us. While the aloof wizard hadn’t been easy to get along with in the beginning—even now, at times—I’d somehow managed. Without me and my persistent attempts to break him with kindness, he never would have agreed to hang out with us.

Warmth filled me as I remembered our first year at Hogwarts together. Hermione, Ron, and Harry, all promising Gryffindors from the start. Draco, a capable, ambitious Slytherin. And me, Lara, a soft spoken, kind-hearted Hufflepuff.

How had we ever managed to become friends? I remembered the initial years at Hogwarts fondly. Hermione and I becoming fast friends in charms class, and later when I met Draco in history of magic.

Those years had been some of the best of my life. But now, as fifth years, I was beginning to think about it all coming to a close. I glanced at Draco, whose attention was focused on the path ahead. Whatever happened, I hoped we would remain friends. Maybe even more.

As we headed towards the village, the temperature seemed to drop even lower, and snow began to coat the soft ground.

“I didn’t think it’d be so cold today.” A shiver ran down my spine, urging me to pull my cloak even tighter around myself.

“Would you care for a hat?”

Before I could answer, Draco had already snatched up a rock off the ground and begun waving his wand at it. Just like that, it transformed into a knitted hat, adorned with the bright yellow of Hufflepuff house.

“I didn’t know you were so good at transfigurations.” He shrugged the compliment off.

“I’m multi-talented, I suppose.”

He offered it to me and I pulled it over my head, smiling at the newfound warmth, both from the hat and my walking partner.

“Hightower… you know, I didn’t expect us to get on so well.”

“Me either.” I glanced furtively at him again, but this time he was the one staring. Heat began to rise to my cheeks, reddening them even worse than the cold had. The corners of my lips curled upwards in a smile before I had a chance to stop myself.

I willed myself to stop grinning, but when I met his eyes again, both our smiles grew wide.

“What’re you smiling for, Draco?” With practiced ease, he waved my question away.

“Excited to be done with classes.”

The sparkle in his grey eyes led me to think there was another reason, but I was too shy to press further, at least right now. I turned my gaze away to admire the beautiful snowy landscape, but stopped dead in my tracks when a blast of cold hit me in the back.

Instinctively, I drew my wand, ready to defend myself. Draco was nearly doubled over laughing ten yards behind me, his hair falling gracefully into his pale face. I realized a moment too late that there had been no magic involved in what had just happened. My cheeks flushed with embarrassment. Luckily, it was too cold for him to tell from that distance.

While he was distracted, I grabbed a handful of snow and packed it together firmly between my freezing fingers, and launched it right at his head, just the way my brother had done to me when we were kids.

“Hightower!” he exclaimed. My aim was true. He looked up at me, shock lining his features, snow covering his nose.

“You started this. Are you afraid to finish it?” I scooped up another handful of snow and danced forward as I packed the snow tighter.

“I’m not afraid of anything.”

I knew his answer was a lie, but I was too busy dodging a snowball to make any kind of retort. His snow had sailed right over my head, narrowly missing. I returned a snowball of my own, hitting him directly in the chest. With a low laugh, he scraped an armful of snow off the ground and began running straight toward me.

Racking my brain for any mischievous spell I could think of, I lifted my wand and started to speak, but I wasn’t fast enough. A rush of cold collided with me, sending my sycamore wand flying harmlessly into the air, and me into the ground.

Draco landed on top of me and we became entangled in a laughing, snowy mess. We forgot ourselves for a moment, or at least, he did. Once his laughs subsided, he quickly straightened and stood, offering a hand to help me to my feet. I sat up into a sitting position and looked up at him curiously.

“What? Have I got more snow on my face?”

I stifled a laugh and shook my head.

“There was just something I was curious about. Why is it that you always call me by my last name?” He tilted his head as if deep in thought, and began nervously chewing his lip.

“I do that to everyone.”

“Not  _ everyone. _ ”

As our group had grown closer, he’d dropped his tough act somewhat and had gotten comfortable calling the others by their first names. But not me.

His pale cheeks tinged with red and he offered his hand once again, wordless. I accepted this time, but pulled him back into the snow with me.

“Ah! Hightower, what are you doing? Don’t you want to go to the festival for some—”

“Draco, what is it? You can tell me.” I let my tone soften, hoping he would finally be comfortable enough to tell me what was going on between us.

We’d been dancing around this for far too long. For  _ years. _ Whatever feelings I had, I would never admit them first. I was too shy. And with his pride, he would never speak up first either.

So finally, after nearly five years of knowing each other, I was going to make him say it.

He shifted uneasily beside me, sitting up and brushing snow off his cloak.

“Don’t make me say it, Hightower… I thought… I thought if I could just keep myself from getting too close to you, that—” I leaned closer. “W-what’re you doing?” He’d quickly become flustered, all that talk and bravado behind us.

“Listening,” I said simply. I blinked at him with innocent green eyes, waiting for him to continue. His lips formed a narrow line as he gathered his thoughts.

“I’m… interested in you, Hightower. There. I finally said it.” He let out a long breath, as if he’d been afraid to breathe while he formulated his words.

I leaned closer.

“I think we’re past last names by now, Draco.” His expression softened.

“Well then, Lara… what do you say?”

“I thought you’d never admit it.” I drew him into a tight hug, letting us both fall backwards into the snow. The cold had begun to seep through my robes, but Draco’s warmth next to me made the chill in my bones melt away.

“Now…” Draco pulled back slightly, smiling the biggest smile I’d ever seen him wear, and got to his feet. “Shall we?” I nodded and let him help me to my feet.

We brushed the snow off each other’s robes as we walked, chatting excitedly along the way. Christmas was my favorite time of year, and with Draco by my side, I was positively giddy. Even my footsteps were bouncy and animated.

We walked into Hogsmeade, hand held tightly in hand.

I’d never felt this happy in my life.


End file.
